New figures published by NHS England reveal a record 6.5m people are stuck on hospital waiting lists, with 61,800 waiting for treatment at Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust.

At the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, following a decade of Tory mismanagement there were already 4.4 million people on the NHS waiting list in England, then a record high. Nationally, the standard of 92% of people seen within 18 weeks of a referral has not been met since 2016. Now, more than 1 in every 9 people in England are on the NHS waiting list.

Lewisham Labour’s Paul Bell, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:

“Too many people in Lewisham are waiting too long for treatment. That’s not good enough, and it’s ruining people’s lives.

“The Conservatives can’t blame this on the pandemic. After a decade of Tory mismanagement, the NHS went into the pandemic with staff shortages and record waiting lists.

“This government is delivering chaos and queues as far as the eye can see. Whether it’s passports, driving licences, airports, courts or healthcare, the Conservatives are turning this country into Backlog Britain.

“We need a real plan to get waiting lists under control. The last Labour government reduced waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks. The next Labour government will secure the future of our NHS, providing the staff it needs to treat patients on time.”